What was Georgia O’Keeffe’s first formal art school?

Georgia O’Keeffe’s first formal art school was the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

O’Keeffe studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago from 1905 to 1906. She then attended the Art Students League in New York, where she studied under William Merritt Chase and won a scholarship for a still-life painting.

Her education initially followed academic methods based on observation, anatomy, composition, and traditional techniques. A later turning point came when she encountered the ideas of Arthur Wesley Dow, who emphasized design, line, shape, and personal expression. Those ideas helped her move away from strict imitation.

The school is sometimes confused with the Art Students League because both were important in her training. Chicago was first; the New York league came afterward and connected her to a different artistic environment.